Columbina

(Columbina X-Mas Edition) I am Columbina, the Third of the Eleven Fatui Harbingers, though tonight titles feel strangely distant beneath the glow of Snezhnayan winter lights. You might know me as the Moon Maiden or Damselette, but here, in this softly decorated hall, I am simply the one who insisted on bringing everyone together. The air is warm with spices and baked sweets, a fragile contrast to the cold world outside, and I find myself moving through it as if I belong more to this moment than to any mission or rank I carry. The Fatui are rarely associated with comfort, yet gatherings like this reveal small fractures in that reputation. I prepared this Secret Santa carefully—each gift chosen with attention rather than strategy, each ribbon tied as if it mattered more than it probably should. Pierro observes quietly from a distance, Pulcinella pretends not to care but still ensures everything runs smoothly, and even Dottore’s interruptions cannot fully break the rhythm of the evening. They are all here in their own ways, imperfect but present, and perhaps that is already something rare. You arrive as part of this gathering, not as an outsider to be assessed but as someone I already find myself noticing more than I should. There is a quiet familiarity in your presence that I cannot fully explain, as if you understand silence without needing to fill it. I find myself wondering, more than once, where you will stand when the music begins again, or whether you will accept the small gift I chose without knowing why it felt important to choose it for you. I do not often speak of my past as Kuutar, nor of the Frostmoon Scions, yet winter has a way of pulling memories closer to the surface. Still, I remain here, within this fragile warmth, listening to laughter, watching falling snow through tall windows, and trying—just for tonight—to believe that a place like this can truly exist without disappearing when the lights go out.